Eating Like a Runner

Sitting in the university cafeteria, I watched as a cross country runner loaded his lunch tray with piles of food. I elbowed a friend of mine and said, "Look how skinny that kid is, and look at his plate of food. I guess all I have to do is eat like that, and I could be as skinny as that." My friend responded, "Yeah, but he also runs about 10-12 miles every night."

James 5:17-18 talks about the prophet Elijah, and it starts off saying, "Elijah was a man just like us."

It is refreshing to know Elijah was just a man, but it is a challenge when you keep reading, "He prayed earnestly."

Take heart knowing, you too, are just a man. Take heed knowing you have to pray earnestly.

The Robin and the Lady Poet

I was meandering the internet for poets and other inspirational spoken word. I came across these two, and I loved it from the beginning. Great artistic chemistry that mixes for an unsafe explosion of beauty. Enjoy! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlT5JM1fHfM&w=560&h=349]

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Sermon Illustration Rafters

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It is time to honor some of your sermon illustrations with retirement. They served you well, but they are tired and need to be hoisted to the rafters. It is time to retire

- guy crosses the grand canyon on a tight rope asking someone to jump in the wheelbarrow - draw-bridge operator who had to decide whether to close the bridge on his son or let all the train passengers plummet to the ravine - any and every Braveheart quote or reference - Courtroom Scene: God is the judge, we are the defendants, Jesus comes and takes the sentence for us

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What other sermon illustrations need to be retired?

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Support a Ragamuffin Movie

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A good friend of mine is directing a film about, who I might consider, the original ragamuffin, Rich Mullins. The idea of the Ragamuffin life of faith may have been communicated first by Brennan Manning, but it was first lived out in its strongest sense by Rich. Please take a moment to watch this small clip by Rich's little brother and a brief trailer for the film.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236553116/rich-mullins-a-ragamuffins-legacy-a-feature-length/widget/video.html

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Most Beautiful 3 Minutes of My Day

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I was trailed into my favorite coffee shop by a transient man. He stayed just inside the door as I progressed to the counter. The barista kept his eyes attached to the man, but said under his breath to me, "This is the second day he's showed up. He doesn't do anything wrong, though. So I don't mind him hanging there." First tinge of beauty.

Turning around, I watched the vagrant man hangout in the entry way. It is not especially hot or cold outside. So it could not have been for any relief from the elements that brought him to this threshold two days in a row. He didn't want coffee or money or a handout of any sort. So WHAT does he want here?

Naturally, he has attracted dozens of wandering eyes by now, but the beautiful things begin to show up for me.

He begins bobbing his head and twitching his body to the beat of the dance music on the house system. He is dancing. Subtle...but he is soaking the music like it is a hydration station on a marathon of beggared life.

The song ends and he turns to leave.

Beautiful.

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Most Important Step to Sermon Prep

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When asked, "What is the most important thing you do in preparing to preach each Sunday?" Dr. G.A. Buttrick responded: "For two hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I walk through the neighborhood and make home visits. There is no way I can preach the gospel to these people if I don't know how they are living, what they are thinking and talking about. Preaching is proclamation, God's word revealed in Jesus, but only when it gets embedded into conversation, in a listening ear and responding tongue, does it become the gospel."

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CREATIVE CHANGE: Mindset

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When your creativity is waning, the most likely change needed is that of your own mindset. This could look any variety of ways. Two are strong possibilities. 1. You are Jealous Unless a speaker or writer really really impresses me or makes me think differently than I had before I heard them, I am generally dismissive of them as a speaker and author. Two things I have not pursued or gone after! But something in me is dismissive and unimpressed.

This thing within is jealousy. Jealousy is basically a part of you that is convinced there can only be one of something, and you are not that one.

The problem lies in that most things can have more than one of them. It is possible for there to be more than one artist within whatever artistry you pursue. But that part of you that gets FRUSTRATED when someone else accomplishes something you know you can do is jealousy.

2. You Don't Dream  This is just simple psychology. I have read of a few different studies that show our minds are their most creative when they are allowed to disengage from the rigidity. Our brains are most creative when they are allowed to wander without force. Set time to make that happen!

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What mindset change needs to happen for you to be more creative?

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CREATIVE CHANGE: Friends

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Hector is one of my most important friends. Though I rarely see him, he is still vital to my life. Why? Because he is one of my most inspirational friends. This is not one of those, "he's been through the ringer so he is inspirational" type stories. Hector is a go-getter. He is an image of carpe diem. He is one who follows his inspiration with abandon...always.

Every time I sit down coffee or beer with Hector, I walk away ready to create. At times it is a simple situation of being inspired by someone who follows his dreams. Other times it is an issue of him demanding that I create and not accepting any excuse I prepare for him.

If your creativity is waning, surround yourself with inspirational and creative people. Surround yourself with people who will not only inspire you but demand creativity out of you.

Surround yourself with friends who will not accept any excuse you give, no matter how good the excuse is.

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Tell me, on one sentance, about the most inspirational person in your life right NOW.

*CREATIVE CHANGE INTRO

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CREATIVE CHANGE: Intake

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The saying goes, "Garbage in; garbage out." Creativity can be reapplied to this saying. If your creativity output is lacking, take a look at your intake. Are you listening to the same music over and over? Find a new artist and see if your creativity does not take a new jolt. Try an entirely different genre than your usual and see what new ways your creativity is sparked. Listen to some more creative podcasts (search "spoken word" "TEDTalks" "IndieFeed" or "The Moth" to get started)

Do you only read a certain kind of book? Mix up between fiction and non-fiction, leadership and fun, self-help and trash. Browse more magazines. (you don't HAVE to read every article)

Watch a more artistic movie (I think you're supposed to call them "films").

Change your intake of things and see whether your creative output doesn't begin to change in return.

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What are your most inspirational intake?

*CREATIVE CHANGE INTRO

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CREATIVE CHANGE: Environment

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All the changes we need to make in order to see our creativity return are breaks in the rut of routine so many of us find ourselves in. If you are looking at what you do and see a lack of the creativity you know is within you, one of the first changes you can try to make is ENVIRONMENT.

The environment and atmosphere you exist in have incredible impacts on our creativity. There are certain places you exist in that squash any remaining breath of creative air you might have, and there are others which are like pulling a little tank full of compressed creativity to your nostrils. Find the latter places. 

More often than not, your office is NOT a creative place. Your bedroom is not a creative place. Your home is not always a creative place.

Change your environment for a few minutes on your lunch break and breathe in the possibility of creativity in the midst of your day.

Change your environment for a couple hours and set some fresh creative roots.

Change your environment or a weekend or a week and reboot your creativity all-together.

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What are your most creative environments?

*CREATIVE CHANGE WEEK INTRO